Shammus had been ensuring his team was well prepared for the war. The slaughter, it would have to be efficient for it to stay such. Many of them were a high level; yes, but even with an absurdly high level one is capable of losing to someone far weaker when caught in surprise.

  He wouldn’t put it past the world to kill him that way either. The system was cruel in that way for certain. And therefore he was in charge of briefing the entire team, but he wasn’t just going to let them loose and pray they were going to do a good job.

  Shammus wouldn’t allow them to cause unnecessary suffering when they could easily kill them immediately. The people they were fighting weren’t monsters, they were humans, elves, dwarves, and anybody else who could handle that heat.

  56 - Power

  Shammus had finally calmed down from what Painted the World Red was saying, but Kishtan and him had finished speaking. Kishtan’s eyes flashed the same shade as the system before he began his lecture.

  “Alright, your stats are--” A pause, one that caught Shammus’s attention, “certainly interestingly distributed.” Kishtan looked at the system screen in front of the dragon, and Shammus opened his own stats to look at what Kishtan was probably looking at.

  Name: Shammus

  Class: Demigod of Void

  Level: 1750

  EXP Required: 720,290,000/999,999,999

  Stats:

  POWER: 564,192

  AGILITY: 564,193

  CONSTITUTION: 135,115

  MAGIC: 564,192

  HEALTH: 1,351,150

  MAGIC: 56,419,200

  EVASION: 507,774

  MOVESPEED: 93,092 m/s

  REACTION SPEED: 564

  SKILLS:

  [Unarmed Strike]

  [Dash]

  [Red Infuser]

  [Void Tear]

  [Voidstar]

  [Godly Descent - Void]

  …

  TRAITS:

  [Talented Bladeworker]

  [Human]

  [Voidsight]

  [Void Immunity]

  …

  He was shocked to see how high his stats had become, and more specifically his class. He had ignored the class evolution notification having been given it in mid combat against the damned pink haired elf.

  And he also noticed how fast his movement speed was. It was absurdly high, being minimum mach 310. And that was what was absurd to him, that he physically could go that fast, and clearly that he could perceive that fast.

  Kishtan simply shrugged and walked up to Shammus. “You haven’t even known your peak speed until just now, hm?” The robed dragon was looking into his eyes with the same silver hue they always held.

  “Not to worry, it’s understandable when your growth is so insanely high, why not test your maximum damage? Not to worry, there is nothing to really… care for if destroyed.” Kishtan paused while gesturing to the wartorn battlefield around.

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  “Just punch outward, try to destroy as much as you can in a singular punch. I want you to do this.” Kishtan shows Shammus the precise form for the punch, and Shammus simply pushed his fist outward as much as he could.

  When it left a cavern with a minimum of 5 kilometers wide, that was a shock, and that Shammus had no clue how strong he’d been before was a miracle for that elf. It should’ve been much much easier to win alone and yet he struggled.

  “Hm, yeah no that’s pretty accurate to what should’ve happened.” Kishtan looked across the cavern, his eyes flashing a nice purple hue. Potentially divining just how far it went. “I think your training should be done on the next floor instead. Along with all of you.”

  Kishtan shrugged as he walked back to the portal back to his personal floor. “Unfortunate how I’ll have to join you honestly, since it’ll be decently tough to get back home.” Kishtan continued talking, much less emotion in his voice.

  The gate reopened much swifter than the original opening, and Kishtan stepped through first. Shammus had stepped through alongside him, and Kishtan simply walked back through the field.

  The two quickly made it to the small house, the hut was actually well built. Reminded of home, Shammus walked right on in, only to be partially blinded by the gold throne glimmering in the moonlight.

  Kishtan followed in right after Shammus, only for the dragon to walk right through the dining hall and towards a more wild library. They found Bariton, Judine, and Pallad pretty quickly, but not Clara.

  Judine and Bariton were both sleeping on the plush carpet, looking more like they had randomly passed out. Pallad was sitting besides them, watching over the two like a hawk. Pallad looked just as tired as the rest of them, and Shammus grabbed Kishtan’s shoulder before Kishtan could speak.

  “We are heading out the next day.” Shammus began, walking towards Pallad. “I’ll go find Clara.” Shammus kept walking past Pallad, who turned to face him. “We’re all getting some rest before we do.”

  Pallad nodded before Shammus kept walking alongside the walls of books. It was an oddly shaped library, but that’s because it wasn’t one. It was a personal collection, and one could only call it a library because of the kindness of the man who owned it.

  He found Clara sleeping upon a desk, and upon approach sat down on the other side of the table, placing a bookmark in the books that were open for Clara before gently shutting them and placing them into his own inventory.

  He sent a whisper towards Kishtan using a light aeromancy spell. “Where can we get some sleep?” The spell fluttered away like a butterfly, landing atop Kishtan’s nose. He sent a whisper back with the same spell, but Kishtan’s was less refined and carried more, moving more like a raven of air.

  “I have a few spare rooms,” the message began whispering into his ear as Shammus kept cleaning up the desk. “This is my personal domain, so I should be able to bring my book collection along with us.”

  Shammus nodded at that, unsure if Kishtan could see him anymore. He just kept cleaning up the desk. There were piles of books besides the table, which worried Shammus a bit more. Mental exhaustion was always much slower to clear than physical.

  The light from the moon filtering through the mural was nice, and Shammus sent another phrase towards Kishtan and Pallad at the same time, the words carried along by the slide of air impossibly.

  “Please lead Pallad to the room, he can carry both Clara and Judine at the same time.” The message was concise. He needed to help Clara up to lead her to the room himself, but he kept placing more and more books into his inventory for her.

  He steadied himself against the table as he noticed that this library was enchanted. Not enchanted to amplify one’s exhaustion, but enchanted to make it more clear. To make it affect not your mind more, but your body more. Or maybe to turn mental exhaustion into physical.

  Shammus sauntered over to Clara, and lightly shook her awake. The small sounds she made was a sign she was close to waking up, so he began to speak instead, “Hey, Clara, I think you may need a bed instead.”

  Clara groaned as she lifted her head, and she blinked a few times. “Oh, hey Shammus…” Her words were slow, her mind probably still foggy. Shammus caught her before she fell back down.

  “Let’s get out of here… I already bookmarked all the books you have yet to finish.” Shammus spoke quietly as he lifted her to her feet. Clara didn’t resist, but she was clearly tired, allowing gravity to keep a hold over her.

  He didn’t feel strained though. Shammus took a mental note at the lack of strain in carrying someone, potentially due to his high power stat. He carried her down a spiral staircase in one of the corners of the grand collection of books and stories.

  The grand collection of legends from the past, and even some from nations that weren’t Forsivo. One or two caught his eye, and he tossed those into his inventory as well for personal reading.

  The books titles were also curious; one of which was in common, the other in draconic. “The story of the tower” written by aHBneWlla21qIGVlZHVtZnI=. The censorship of the author had made Shammus pick that one up, and the other was ‘The Secret to Power’ written by Konish the Destroyer. Many people do say that the older the author, the better the writing.

  But Shammus led Clara over to Kishtan, who had already led Pallad to the guest rooms. “You two ready for one of the best sleeps of your life?” Kishtan pointed to himself with his thumb as he spoke that, and Shammus just sighed, feeling his arms get heavier from the library.

  “Yes, I dare say that I am prepared for that.” Shammus keeps Clara standing despite his own legs beginning to feel filled with lead. “What of you, Clara?” Clara nodded slowly, her movements exaggerated from the sheer tiredness that filled her.

  “Well, I’ll lead the way then!” Kishtan simply walked alongside the dining hall to a wooden door which held a small spiral staircase. Shammus practically carried Clara up the stairs as Kishtan continued leading them throughout the palace, the warm light from the torches contrasting the cold light of the moon.

  Eventually, Kishtan led them to a room with four beds. “Painted The World Red told me there would only be four of you alive by now… I think she was a little wrong, but I wouldn’t mind giving up my master bedroom’s bed.”

  Bariton sat up as soon as Kishtan said that, muttering something that was enhanced with Shammus’s aeromancy. “Nah, I can share my bed with one of my party members…” Bariton was clearly delirious, and needed someone to watch over him.

  “Yes, that should work fine, you can stay within your own master bedroom Kishtan.” Shammus bows his head down lightly before he walks Clara over to the only unoccupied bed. And then he joins Bariton in his bed. It was oddly nice, and probably the best sleep he’d ever had.